Dashing and Dependable Daylilies

Dashing and Dependable Daylilies

Daylilies are the workhorses of the plant world. Dependable, tough, low maintenance, generally well behaved and the latest varieties are anything but dull!  They have come a long way from the old orange daylilies that you see growing along the roadside and marking out the outlines of long gone homesteads, yet have retained that long lived tenacity from their orange ancestor.

Daylilies Daylilies and Queen Anne’s Laces growing by the roadside

Now you can get daylilies in almost any colour except blue and black and size from tall to dwarf and flowers that range from single spider-like petals to double frothy ones.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA A double yellow daylily

All daylilies flower best and longest in full sun but will do with some shade.  They are drought tolerant when mature and will grow almost anywhere from boulevard beds to slopes to perennial gardens.  They are best suited to more informal and natural style gardens and pair wonderfully with grasses and coneflowers.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA A gorgeous strawberry coloured daylily growing in my dry boulevard

As the name suggests, each flower lasts only a day with new ones opening up everyday.  Hybridizers are striving for longer bloom periods and repeat bloom bloom periods. One of the latest is the “Never Ending” series, a smaller daylily that is supposed to bloom all season long from early to late summer and comes in a variety of shades.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Never Ending daylily “Pink”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Never Ending Daylily “Buttercream”

As with all bloomers, be sure to cut off all spent flower stems to prolong the bloom period.  If the plant sets seed (daylilies produce swollen seed pods), they’ve done their job and quit flowering.  After all its hard work to look one’s best all the time!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The big bold “Ruby Spider” daylily with geranium “Rozanne”

There are hundreds of varieties of daylilies now and several nurseries that specialize in them across Canada and the US.  Garden centres tend to carry only the latest or the most popular kinds so if you want something special, see who you can find in your area.  For my readers in southern Ontario, there is Nottawasaga Daylilies farm near Creemore.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA A yummy apricot beauty

So be sure to add some of these summer beauties to your garden 🙂

Happy gardening!

Share This:

More to explore

In the Garden this month

The ground is still frozen but there are a few intrepid flowers that pop up as soon as possible in my zone

Cycle of Life

Out of the bare earth life springs anew

Trees turning orange and yellow, in the fall

Fall Scenes

Well here we are in the second wave of covid 19 and no relief in site. Hang in there everyone! On the

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Service Area

Acton, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Glen Williams, Milton, Brampton, Rockwood and Caledon.

Contact Us

(905) 965-3833
(905) 877-2575
writeme@gardengraces.ca

About

Garden Graces is a full service landscaping company, offering designs, planting and maintenance of your property.  We work together with experienced landscape contractors to create your perfect outdoor sanctuary.

Follow Us

Blog Update Email Signup

Scroll to Top